SMASHING PUMPKINS recordings

[lennonfan]

For any of those who may enjoy the music of Billy and Co., have you noticed how incredibly LOUD their cds are? They blow most of my other cds right out the door! I'm sure some of it is compression, but there's some type of box they ran everything through during recordings....can't remember what it's called, but it evidently does something to increase the volume.....any thoughts?
Next I want to know if anybody knows what the line 'you're the murder in my world, dressing coffins for the souls I've left to die' means:)
BTW, for anyone who doesn't have it, their Greatest Hits DVD is one of the most well put-together discs I've yet seen....commentary and documentary interchangeable with the video and music...great idea.

[Uncle Al]

Well - FWIW....

The Pumpkins always wanted their cd's loud (at least up to Mellon Collie), and while I was never fond of their mixes - they were NEVER "digital shrill". Siamese Dream was loud - but never gave an earache - almost as if they WANTED you to turn it up. Their CD's were very analog sounding - you could increase the volume without the 8-10k boost most other modern recordings had.

For modern recordings - they had some strange mixes though. "1979" from Mellon Collie was repleat with (good old analog) droputs. Reminds me of original vinyl Beatles "Norwegian Wood". I was always torn between respect (as in "this is the best take - live with it"), or just laziness.

It sold millions - what do I know?

[Gary]

I've always liked the SP's - I think Mellon Collie was brilliant!

I'll have to look for the DVD - thanks! :)

Others that I know think lines like "you're the murder in my world, dressing coffins for the souls I've left to die" are sort of dark. I've never seen it that way myself.... but what it means, who knows?

The World is a Vampire!

[ultron9]

I concur with the opinions expressed on the recordings "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie."

I think their last CD "Machina.." has some great stuff which was sort of overlooked when the CD was released. The sound is loud but dynamic.

Hope Steve can tackle some of their recordings in the future.

[Matt]

Well, Ava Adore is written to a girl the singer's in love with, and he constantly shifts back and forth between blissful, almost wholesome imagery and violent, disturbing imagery. The line you mentioned plays off of "Lovely girl you're the beauty in my world, without you there are no reasons left to find." In between, you have the repeated "we must never be apart." I always took the song as being a rather disturbing, maybe even psychotic, portrait of one's love for another, how this girl brings the best and worst emotions and thoughts out of the singer.

[lennonfan]

thank you all for your interesting responses.
As far as their recordings, I do find an interesting dimension to the dynamics of the sound, it seems that even the quiet stuff is loud:)
Even at low volume:)
I lost interest after Mellon Collie because it all seemed to grow very dark and kind of insane.....I was starting to refer to Billy as 'Lurch':) It started to all look like a horror movie....not exactly uplifting. Over time, tho, I've come to really appreciate their poetry and musicianship...the drumming and guitars in particular I find really innovative.
I find a lot of the Doors in their writing style....thank goodness they don't have a cheezy organ sound:)